Notice2023-07056
Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping and To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Atchafalaya National Estuarine Research Reserve
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 5, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
In accordance with Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, NOAA and the State of Louisiana (the State) intend to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Draft Management Plan (DMP) for the proposed Atchafalaya National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). NOAA and the State also announce two public scoping meetings to solicit comments on significant issues related to the development of a DEIS for the proposed Atchafalaya NERR.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20131-20132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07056]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping and To Prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Atchafalaya National
Estuarine Research Reserve
AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service (NOS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department
of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement and hold public scoping meetings; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management
Act of 1972, as amended, and the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, NOAA and the State of Louisiana (the State) intend to
prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Draft
Management Plan (DMP) for the proposed Atchafalaya National Estuarine
Research Reserve (NERR). NOAA and the State
[[Page 20132]]
also announce two public scoping meetings to solicit comments on
significant issues related to the development of a DEIS for the
proposed Atchafalaya NERR.
DATES: An in-person meeting will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at
5 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT). A virtual meeting will be held on
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 12 p.m. CDT. Written comments provided
electronically must be submitted no later than Monday, May 15, 2023;
written comments submitted by mail must be postmarked by Monday, May
15, 2023.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting on Thursday, April 20, 2023 will
be conducted at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium; 728 Myrtle
Street, Morgan City, Louisiana 70380 at 5 p.m. CDT. This meeting will
be in-person only and not broadcast. The public scoping meeting on
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 will be held virtually at the following link:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@louisianacpra5300/streams">https://www.youtube.com/@louisianacpra5300/streams</a> at 12 p.m. CDT.
Participants will be able to provide written comments during the
virtual meeting. Meeting documents will be available on the Coastal
Protection and Restoration Authority's NERR website: <a href="https://coastal.la.gov/our-work/key-initiatives/atchafalaya-national-estuarine-research-reserve/">https://coastal.la.gov/our-work/key-initiatives/atchafalaya-national-estuarine-research-reserve/</a>, as well as on the Federal eRulemaking Portal:
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2023-0050">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2023-0050</a>. Written comments
may be submitted by:
<bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2023-0050">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2023-0050</a>, click the ``Comment
Now!'' button, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your
comments. Written comments must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, May 15, 2023.
<bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Kristin Ransom,
Stewardship Division, Office for Coastal Management, NOS, NOAA, 1021
Balch Boulevard, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, 39529; ATTN:
Atchafalaya NERR. Comments must be postmarked no later than Monday, May
15, 2023.
Instructions: All comments received are part of the public record
and will be posted for public viewing on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2023-0050">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2023-0050</a> with no changes. All personally identifiable
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the commenter will be publicly accessible and maintained by NOAA as
part of the public record. NOAA will accept anonymous comments; on the
eRulemaking Portal, enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous. If you would like to submit an anonymous comment
during the in-person meeting, a comment box along with paper and
writing implements will be provided. Multimedia submissions (i.e.,
audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The
written comment is considered the official comment and should include
discussion of all points you wish to make. NOAA will generally not
consider comments, or comment contents, located outside of the primary
submission sites or addresses (i.e., those posted on the web, cloud, or
other file-sharing system). Please note that no public comments will be
audio or video recorded by NOAA or the State.
Closed captioning will be provided for those who attend the virtual
public meeting through the meeting link: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@louisianacpra5300/streams">https://www.youtube.com/@louisianacpra5300/streams</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin Ransom, Stewardship Division,
Office for Coastal Management, NOS, NOAA, 1021 Balch Boulevard, Stennis
Space Center, Mississippi, 39529; ATTN: LA NERR. Phone: 601-568-1091-;
or Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d0bba2b9a3a4b9befea2b1bea3bfbd90bebfb1b1feb7bfa6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="066d746f75726f682874676875696b466869676728616970">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with Section 315 of the
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, and its implementing
regulations (15 CFR part 921), and the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended, and its implementing regulations (40 CFR part
1500), NOAA and the State intend to prepare a DEIS for the proposed
Atchafalaya NERR. Early in the development of the DEIS, NOAA and the
State are required to hold a scoping meeting to solicit public and
government comments on significant issues related to this proposed
action. (15 CFR 921.13(c)).
NOAA received the State's nomination of the proposed site on June
29, 2022. NOAA evaluated the nomination package and found that the
proposed site met the NERR System requirements. NOAA informed the State
on March 22, 2023 that it was accepting the nomination and that the
next step would be to prepare a DEIS and DMP. The DEIS will assess the
potential impact of designating the State's recommended site as a
National Estuarine Research Reserve site, and identify boundary
alternatives. The DMP will set a course for operating the Atchafalaya
NERR if approved and will include plans for administration, research,
education, and facilities of the proposed site. (See 15 CFR 921.13.)
The proposed site consists of the following State-owned properties:
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, Attakapas Island Wildlife Management
Area, Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area, and Marsh Island
Wildlife Refuge; public trust waters including portions of the
Atchafalaya River, Atchafalaya Bay, East and West Cote Blanche Bays,
and Vermilion Bay.
The proposed site resulted from a comprehensive evaluation process
that sought the views of the public, affected landowners, and other
interested parties. The state held informal, widely-publicized town
hall meetings statewide in February 2022 to describe the NERR system,
explain the rationale for establishing a reserve in Louisiana, and
outline a process for selecting and nominating a site to NOAA. The
state assembled a Site Development Committee composed of State agency
representatives, academia, non-governmental organizations, members of
the public, and federal agencies. The team conducted preliminary
screening, detailed screening, and scoring of potential sites that led
to the preferred site. The State and NOAA held public hearings on
November 2 and 3, 2022 to solicit comments on the proposed site. For
more detailed information on the site selection process and the
proposed site, see the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority's NERR website: <a href="https://coastal.la.gov/our-work/key-initiatives/atchafalaya-national-estuarine-research-reserve/">https://coastal.la.gov/our-work/key-initiatives/atchafalaya-national-estuarine-research-reserve/</a>.
Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.420, (Coastal Zone
Management) Research Reserves.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1461.
Keelin Kuipers,
Deputy Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-07056 Filed 4-4-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P
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